ched from
shore by long causeways, beautifully built of stone. On this lake were
many islands; and what was most curious of all, floating gardens, covered
with all sorts of vegetables and flowers.

How big the city was no one will ever know now; but the old ruins of it
show how magnificent its buildings must have been, full of palaces and
temples of every kind of carved stone, surrounded by flower gardens,
while the whole city was full of fountains, supplied with pure water
brought in pipes from the mountains round. I suppose so beautiful a
sight as that city of Mexico has never been seen since on earth. Only
one ugly feature there was in it--great pyramids of stone, hundreds of
them, with idol temples on the top, on each of which was kept up a
perpetual fire, fed with the fat of human beings.

To their surprise the Emperor received them peaceably, came out to meet
them, gave them such presents, that the common soldiers were covered with
chains of gold; invited them into the city, and gave them a magnificent
palace to live in, and endless slaves to wait upon them. It sounds all
like a fairy tale; but it is as true as that you and I are here.

But the cunning emperor had been plotting against them all the while; and
no great blame to him; and at last one of those plots came to light; and
Cortez made up his mind to take the Emperor prisoner. And he did it.
Right or wrong, we can hardly say now. This Montezuma was a bad, false
man, a tyrant and a cannibal; but still it looks ugly to seize a man who
is acting as your friend. However, Cortez had courage, in the midst of
that great city, with hundreds of thousands of Indians round him, to go
and tell the Emperor that he must come with him. And--so strong is a man
when he chooses to be strong--the Emperor actually went with Cortez a
prisoner.

Cortez--and that was an unworthy action--put him in irons for an hour, to
show him that he was master; and then took off his irons, and treated him
like a king. The poor Emperor had all he wanted--all his wives, and
slaves, and finery, and eatables, and drinkables; but he was a mere
puppet in the Spaniard's hands; and knew it. And strangely enough, not
being able to get out of his mind the fancy that these Spaniards were
gods, or at least, the children of the gods, he treated them so
generously and kindly, that they all loved him; he obeyed them in
everything; took up a great friendship with several; and ended actually
by g